The Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian: Homilies for the Great Fast - Book

by Archbishop Innokenty (Borisov) of Kherson and Taurida (1800–1857)

Originally published in Russian in 1844, this collection of eleven homilies translated into English come from the brilliant mind of the Blessed Archbishop Innokenty, one of the most gifted preachers of the nineteenth-century Russian Orthodox Church. These sermons are based on the virtues and vices enumerated in the famous Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian recited multiple times daily during the Great Fast: “O Lord and Master of my life, a spirit of idleness, despondency, ambition, and idle talk give me not. But a spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love vouchsafe unto Thy slave. Yea, O Lord King, grant that I may look upon mine own sins and not condemn my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto the ages of ages. Amen.” Archbishop Innokenty’s homilies are outstanding for their insightfulness and deep understanding of fallen human nature, for he always endeavored to make Christian teaching less abstract and lifeless and to put it into comprehensible language. He offers excellent practical advice for Christians to battle against their vices and foster the virtues. The archbishop was well-known in his time as a superlative preacher, and his works were translated into many foreign languages and circulated through both Eastern and Western Europe. Blessed Innokenty had a profound impact on the souls of those who read his books, which encouraged them to change their ways and follow a new path of life. The homilies in this book cover the topics of: repentance, idleness, despondency, ambition, idle talk, chastity, humility, patience, love, self-reproach, and perseverance.

5”x8” softcover book, with gold-stamped cover.
58 pages.